Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Elmina

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Elmina

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Elmina actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $668 in Elmina.

Austin, TX $2,663
Elmina $668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,125 in Elmina.

Austin, TX $4,133
Elmina $1,125

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,582 in Elmina.

Austin, TX $5,603
Elmina $1,582

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 299% more expensive than in Elmina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Elmina is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$7.82 GHS 90.8

165.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$50.8 GHS 590

66.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.26 GHS 119

20.08%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.46 GHS 51.7

26.23%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.53 GHS 17.80

143.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.44 GHS 5.11

468.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.81 GHS 20.98

344.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.17 GHS 25.12

315.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$3.67 GHS 42.57

-69.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.67 GHS 19.32

124.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.06 GHS 35.54

6.54%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.68 GHS 31.13

55.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$12.03 GHS 140

7.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.08 GHS 82.1

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.62 GHS 112

68.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.61 GHS 41.82

19.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.40 GHS 16.28

4.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.77 GHS 20.53

154.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.56 GHS 41.34

21.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.69 GHS 31.21

-4.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.65 GHS 30.74

-11.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.72 GHS 8.32

147.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.60 GHS 7.01

270.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.51 GHS 29.12

293.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.06 GHS 81.9

113.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.21 GHS 14.07

141.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.33 GHS 27.07

48.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.74 GHS 20.24

56.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.26 GHS 14.61

31.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$4.30 GHS 49.87

720.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.34 GHS 15.54

-29.10%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.0K $36.0K

$7,913 GHS 91.8K

355.54%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.1K $27.1K

$9,662 GHS 112.1K

180.21%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$229 $229

$73.7 GHS 855

210.71%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$59.4 $59.4

$19.07 GHS 221

211.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$42.25 GHS 490

65.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$12.66 GHS 147

12.80%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,506 $1,506

$470 GHS 5,450

220.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$18.6K GHS 216.0K

15.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$14.18 GHS 164

272.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$18.59 GHS 216

135.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$36.74 GHS 426

130.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$52.0 GHS 603

98.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

26.75

-74.62%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Elmina

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Elmina

$276 41.4% 31.7% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Elmina

$135 20.2% 62.3% $223

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Elmina

$168 25.2% 52.5% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Elmina

$55 8.2% 57.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Elmina

$25 * 3.8% 70.5% $60

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Elmina

$8 * 1.2% 86.3% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $51.0 in Elmina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $276 per month, with Elmina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇭 Elmina

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

11:33 11:33 AM

5 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

34,403

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 GHS = 8.62 USD

100 GHS = 7.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 11.6 GHS (100 GHS = 8.62 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

GHS to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Elmina 10,330 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Elmina

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Elmina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elmina wins on cost – living expenses run 299% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Elmina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,001 in Elmina to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $470 in Elmina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Elmina – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $668 in Elmina versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elmina but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Elmina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Elmina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 299% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.